Fingerprint card blank holder



March 15, 1955 N. VANT 2,703,941

FINGERPRINT CARD BLANK HOLDER Filed May 16, 1952 I N VE NTOR fi/IMKi/l/M/W' ATTORNEY United States Patent FINGERPRINT CARD BLANK HOLDER Isadore N. Vant, Belmont, Calif.

Application May 16, 1952, Serial No. 288,361

4 Claims. (Cl. 41-4) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The present invention relates to card or blank holders, and more particularly to a device for holding a fingerprint card while impressions are being made thereon.

Conventional fingerprint cards are of relatively extended length because several rows of spaces are marked oif from top to bottom thereof so that the impressions of the fingers of both hands may be made on the same side of a single card. Frequently space is also left for recording the vital statistics and a general description of the person whose fingerprints are to be recorded on the card. Unless special precautions are taken, particularly when impressions are being made in the upper row or rows of spaces on a card, the lower portion of a card when held in holders of the type now in common use is apt to become smeared accidentally. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved fingerprint card holder including means to hold a card to be impressed in such a manner that the likelihood of accidental smearing of the card is greatly lessened.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved holder for fingerprint cards or like blanks which includes structure of exceedingly simple construction for fixedly holding a blank while it is being impressed and readily operable means to shift the holding structure to and from blank clamping position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved fingerprint card or like blank holder which includes means for holding portions of the blank other than that upon which it is desired immediately to make an impression in an out-of-the-way position so as to lessen the likelihood of these portions of the blank being smeared.

A more general object of the invention is to provide a new and improved fingerprint card or like blank holder which is exceedingly simple and sturdy in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and easy to operate.

Briefly, the improved holder of the present invention comprises a relatively movable framework and platen to support the portion of a blank upon which impressions are to be made, manually operable means to shift the platen to and from a position at which the lateral edges of a blank to be impressed are clamped between the frame and platen and a bail swingable to and from a position at which the portion of the blank projecting from the holder is loosely folded into an out-of-the-way position.

The construction and operation of a holder particularly adapted for holding fingerprint cards while impres sions are being taken is described in the accompanying description and shown in the attached drawing for the purpose of disclosing a preferred form of the invention. Modifications of the structure therein disclosed, and objects, advantages and capabilities of the invention other than those set forth in the foregoing will become apparent from this description and the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved blank holder of the present invention, showing the elements thereof in inoperative position;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the improved blank holder of the present invention on an enlarged scale showing the operating elements thereof in operative position;

2,703,941 Patented Mar. 15, 1955 Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the blank holder with the elements thereof in the same position as in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view on the plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 showing the operating elements in operative position in full lines and in inoperative position in phantom lines; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on the plane of line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

The improved blank holder of the present invention comprises a generally rectangular frame indicated in its entirety by the number 10 (Figs. 1 and 2), a platen 12 movably supported within the frame and a rockable cam mechanism indicated in its entirety by the number 14 in Fig. 3. The frame 10 which may be made from suitable lightweight structural members includes opposite side walls 16 connected together by a forward end wall 18. A base for the frame is formed by outwardly projecting flanges 20 on the side and forward walls 16 and 18 respectively apertured to receive anchor screws for fixedly securing the frame to a flat surface such as the top of a desk or table 22 (Fig. 1). Side walls 16 terminate at their upper ends in inwardly projecting horizontally aligned flanges 24, while a similar flange 26 is provided on the forward wall 18 elevated slightly from the plane of the flanges 24 and including Wings 28 turned down against the side walls 16. The forward wall 18 is provided with a slot 30 (Figs. 1 and 4) extending longitudinally of this wall from one side wall 16 to the other substantially aligned with the underside of lateral flanges 24 on the side walls 16.

The platen 12 may be made, for example, from a sheet metal plate formed to define a flat surface area 32, a normally depending forward flange 34 and an acutely depending rear flange 36. Both of these flanges are of less height than the side walls 16 on the frame 10, and the flat surface 32 is somewhat smaller in width and breadth than the corresponding internal dimensions of this frame so that the platen may be freely reciprocated toward and from the lateral flanges 24 when it is disposed in the frame. However, this flat area in the platen should correspond in width approximately to the width of a fingerprint card or blank to be processed, which card is indicated at 38 in Fig. 4. Moreover, in a front to rear direction, the flat surface 32 preferably is somewhat larger than the height of one row of spaces on the fingerprint card 38 so that only one row of these spaces can be made to register with the flat surface 32 at any one time, but the particular row which is to register may be controlled by adjusting the card in a forward or rearward direction relative to the holder while the platen 12 is separated from the lateral flanges 24. In any event, portions of the card will project forwardly and rearwardly of the platen 12 when a card is being positioned in the holder. The forwardly extending portion of this card projects through the slot 30 in the front wall 18, while the other end portion of the card extends rearwardly of the rounded rear edge of platen 12.

The cam mechanism 14 for raising platen 12 into engagement with the lateral flanges 24 comprises a shaft 40 (Fig. 3) journaled in an intermediate part of the opposite side walls 16 in the frame 10 and a pair of eccentric cams 42 (Figs. 3 and 4) fixed upon the shaft adjacent the inner side of the side walls 16. By virtue of their location the earns 42 engage the underside of platen 12 in alignment with the portions thereof overlapped by the flanges 24. Tipping or canting of the platen is thus avoided when it is being raised. One of the projecting ends of the shaft 40 is considerably longer than the other and is bent at an angle to the main portion thereof to form a crank 44 for rocking the shaft between a position at which the low side of the eccentric cams 42 face the underside of the flat top 32 in platen 12 so that the platen is free to descend from abutting engagement with the lateral flanges 24 and the position indicated in Fig. 4 at which a higher portion of the eccentrics is engaged against the underside of the flat top 32 in platen 12 and the latter has been raised sufliciently to bring its lateral edges into the plane of the lateral flanges 24. At this latter position of the platen the fingerprint card 38 on the platen will therefore be tightly clamped along portions of its,

lateral edges between the platen 12 and the lateral flanges 24 Vertical reciprocatory movement of the platen 12 is guided by the cooperative action of the depending forward flange 34 on the platen which engages the inner side of front wall 18 on the frame and a pair of angle brackets 48 fixed on the underside of platen 12 and having depending flanges engaged against the forwardly facing side of rockshaft 40.

Normally fingerprints are taken from the rear side of the holder, i. e., from the right side as viewed in Fig. 4, and the hand of the subject to be fingerprinted is brought toward the holder from that direction. The portion of card 38 which projects rearwardly of the rear side of the holder after the card has been properly located on the holder as previously described therefore is apt to become soiled or smeared during the taking of impressions unless it is held in an out-of-the-way position. This is particularly true when impressions are being taken in the upper row or rows on a card because the card will then project to its maximum extent from the rear side of the holder.

The likelihood of smearing is lessened by swinging a generally U-shaped bail 50 rockably mounted adjacent its opposite ends upon the projecting ends of rockshaft 40 from the position shown in Fig. l to that shown in full lines in Fig. 4 so that a longitudinally extending intermediate portion 52 thereon engages the projecting end of the card 38 in the holder and loosely folds the same around the rounded rear edge of the platen 12 into the depending position shown in Fig. 4. Bail 50 may be made from round bar stock bent to the shape best shown in Fig. 1 to provide the longitudinally extending intermediate portion 52 previously mentioned and hooked arms 54 projecting angularly therefrom and provided with eyes at their free ends loosely to engage upon shaft 40.

From the above description of the construction of the blank holder of the present invention, its operation should be apparent. It will be assumed that the holder has been anchored to the top 22 of a table or the like With its rear edge vertically aligned with one edge of the table top. When the holder is to be loaded, crank 44 is rocked to the position shown in Fig. 1 or in phantom in Fig. 4 at which position the low side of the eccentric earns 42 faces the underside of platen 12 so that the latter is free to drop from engagement with lateral flanges 24 on the frame 10. The card or blank 38 which is to be impressed is then positioned in the holder so as to locate the lateral edges thereof between the lateral edges of the flat area 32 in the platen and the lateral flanges 24 on the frame while the portion of the end thereof which projects beyond the forward side of the holder passes through the slot in front wall 18 and the lower end portion of the card project rearwardly of the rear edge of the holder. The card is clamped in this position by rocking the crdank 44 to the full line position shown in Fig. 4 thus bringing a portion of the high side of eccentric cams 42 into engagement with the underside of platen 12 and raising the latter until the lateral edges of the card 38 are clamped between the platen and the lateral flanges 24. The card will then be fixedly held on the platen and the portion thereof projecting rearwardly of the platen may be loosely folded into a dependent out-of-the-way position by rocking the bail 50 from the position shown in Fig. l to the full line position shown in the other views.

In this latter position the lower end of the fingerprint card 38 is not likely to he accidentally soiled because the fingers of the subject to be fingerprinted will be brought down upon the portion of the card supported upon the platen 12 from a position above and to the rear of the holder. The depending lower end of the card is thus remote from the region through which the hand of a subject being fingerprinted must pass. Moreover, by locating a card to be impressed so that the lower edge of a particular row of spaces thereon is adjacent the rear edge of platen 12 accurate centering of impressions in the spaces is possible and no portion of the impressions in a row can extend into that below the row in question.

The forward or upper end of the card 38 is protected from accidental smearing because it is held down by the front flange 26, and this flange also forms a guard upon which impinge fingers or a hand accidentally brought down adjacent the front side of the holder.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent that numerous variations and modifications thereof may be made without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. It is desired, therefore, by the following claims, to include within the scope of the invention, all such variations and modifications by which substantially the results of the invention may be obtained through the use of substantially the same or equivalent means.

I claim:

1. A holder for elongated blanks comprising a frame, a platen having a flat blank supporting surface area of substantially the same Width but of appreciably less length than the blanks to be supported so that portions of a supported blank project beyond one or the other or both ends of the platen, cooperating parts on said platen and frame movable relatively into and out of clamping engagement with the lateral edges of a blank supported on said platen, a rockshaft having opposite ends projecting outwardly of the holder, means positively to move said cooperating parts relatively to at least one of the positions to which they are movable in response to predetermined rocking movement of said shaft, a crank on one end of said shaft selectively to rock the same, and a generally U-shaped bail rockably mounted at opposite ends upon the opposite projecting ends of said shaft loosely to fold downwardly the portion of a supported blank extending rearwardly of the rear edge of the platen when the bail is rocked in one direction.

2. A blankholder comprising a three-sided frame including a front wall, opposite side walls and an open rear end, a platen dimensioned loosely to telescope in said frame, said platen having a flat generally rectangularly shaped outwardly facing side at least as wide as the blank to be supported, flanges on at least said side walls extending inwardly a sufficient distance to overlap the corresponding edges of the platen for clamping a supported blank against the platen along these overlapping edges upon predetermined telescopic movement of said platen, a shaft rockably journaled adjacent opposite ends in said side walls intermediate the front and rear edges of the latter and projecting outwardly of the said side walls, cams on said shaft operable against the underside of said platen at regions thereof overlapped by the flanges on said side walls positively to move the platen in a direction to bring it into clamping engagement with the flanges and a generally U-shaped bail rockably mounted at opposite ends upon the opposite projecting ends of said shaft loosely to fold downwardly the portion of a supported blank extending rearwardly of the rear edge of the platen when the bail is rocked in one direction.

3. A blankholder comprising a platen having a flat generally rectangularly shaped outwardly facing side transversely dimensioned to correspond approximately to the width of the blanks to be supported, a frame having a front and opposite side walls dimensioned loosely to encompass the corresponding edges of said platen to adapt said platen and frame for predetermined relative telescopic movement when the parts are dis posed in assembled relation, flanges on said front and side walls extending inwardly a suflicient distance to overlap the corresponding edges of the platen for clamping a supported blank against the platen along these overlapping edges upon predetermined telescopic movement of said frame and platen, said front wall having a longitudinal slot the upper edge of which lies in the plane of the underside of the flange on said front wall so that the forward end of a blank supported on the platen may be projected through the said slot when necessary, a rockably journaled shaft extending transversely of the platen and frame intermediate the front and rear edges of the latter and projecting outwardly of said side walls and platen, means to impart predetermined telescopic movement to said platen and frame upon predetermined rocking movement of the shaft and a generally U-shaped bail rockably mounted at opposite ends upon the opposite projecting ends of said shaft loosely to fold downwardly the portion of a supported blank extending rearwardly of the rear edge of the platen when the bail is rocked in one direction.

4. A blankholder comprising a three-sided frame including a front wall, opposite side walls and an open rear end, a platen dimensioned loosely to telescope in said frame, said platen having a flat generally rectangularly shaped outwardly facing side at least as wide as the blank to be supported, cooperating parts on said platen and frame brought into and out of clamping engagement with the peripheral edges of a supported blank upon opposite predetermined telescopic movement of the platen in said frame, a shaft rockably journaled adjacent opposite ends in said side walls intermediate the front and rear ends of these walls, means operated by said shaft to impart opposite telescopic movement to the platen in response to opposite rocking movement of the shaft for clamping and releasing a supported blank, structure to guide telescopic movement of the platen projecting outwardly of the underside of the platen in parallel planes normal thereto along the front edge of the platen and intermediate its front and rear edges at positions slidably to engage respectively the front wall of said frame and the forwardly facing side of said rockshaft and means to hold down the portions of a supported blank projecting beyond either the front or the rear or both of the said edges of the platen.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 65,873 Cabell June 18, 1867 1,404,432 Burwell Jan. 24, 1922 2,248,646 Small July 8, 1941 2,312,333 Gramelspacher Mar. 2, 1943 2,495,061 Hanson Jan. 17, 1950 

